Shirt with lateral pocket for holding cellphone or the like

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a torso-covering garment having a laterally accessible interior pocket in the side-torso area under the arm for storing personal items, such as mobile phone or a wallet. In one embodiment, the pocket includes a substantially vertical upper opening and a freely hanging elongated enclosure located below the opening. Stitching may be applied in an inverted “V” shape across the lower boundary of the storage area to create two downwardly-narrowing areas near the bottom of the pocket. Interior flaps which are open on the bottom edge may be included to help capture and retain the items in the pocket.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/249,422 filed Oct. 7, 2009 entitled“Torso-Covering Garment With Secure Pocket” which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to clothing and, morespecifically, to a torso-covering garment having a laterally-accessiblepocket for holding a cellphone or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Various types of pockets are used in modern clothing which allow awearer to store items within a garment. In its most common form, astandard shirt pocket is enclosed on the sides and bottom and open onthe top to provide immediate access to an item kept in the pocket. Oneproblem with this type of pocket is that an item has a tendency to fallout of the pocket as the wearer bends forward or engages in activitiesinvolving excessive physical movement. Incorporating closure elements,such as buttons or zippers, can alleviate the problem of items fallingout of the pocket. However, the closure may also increase the effortrequired to secure or retrieve an item within the pocket. Closures alsoadd to the production cost and may be unsightly or uncomfortable for thewearer. A need therefore exists in the present art for a shirt pocketwhich provides easy and immediate access to stored items, whilemaintaining aesthetics and reducing the possibility that an item mayfall out of the pocket. The present disclosure fills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Accordingly, in one aspect, a torso-covering garment is disclosed,comprising a first substantially vertical opening located in aside-torso portion of the garment and an elongated interior pocketattached to the side-torso portion of the garment. The pocket has anupper and lower end and is laterally-accessible from and extending at adownward angle from the first opening. The pocket swings freely from theside-torso portion of the garment such that when an item is placed inthe pocket, the pocket tends toward maintaining a substantially verticalorientation when a wearer moves to a non-vertical position.

According to another aspect, the pocket may include downwardly-narrowingwedge areas for securing the item in the pocket as gravity pulls theitem downward. According to yet another aspect, the pocket may includeat least one passageway separating an upper area of the pocket and adownwardly-widening lower storage area, with the passageway being sizedto assist in retaining the item in said downwardly-widening storagearea.

According to yet another aspect, the pocket may include at least oneinverted flap attached to an interior sidewall of the pocket. The flapdefines a cavity having a bottom opening, wherein said bottom opening isabove a bottom end of said pocket. Multiple flaps may also be includedin the same pocket to enhance retention for various sized objects.

According to yet another aspect, a torso-covering garment is disclosed,comprising a first substantially vertical opening located in aside-torso portion of the garment and an interior pocket. The interiorpocket comprises an elongated enclosure having an upper and lower end;and a second opening near the upper end of the enclosure. The upper endof the elongated enclosure is attached to the garment along a perimeterof said second opening such that the elongated enclosure islaterally-accessible from said first substantially vertical opening. Thelower end of the elongated enclosure swings freely from the side-torsoportion of the garment such that when an item is placed in the pocket,the enclosure tends toward maintaining a substantially verticalorientation when a wearer moves to a non-vertical position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is front view of a shirt having a laterally-accessible pocketaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a shirt having a laterally-accessible pocketaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket with a twodownwardly narrowing areas near the bottom of the pocket.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket with a passagewayleading to a lower storage area.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket with an invertedinterior flap for retaining items placed in the pocket.

FIG. 5 a is a rear view of the laterally-accessible pocket of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket having multipleretaining strips for retaining items placed in the pocket.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a shirt having a lens-shaped opening in theside torso area for attaching a pocket.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a laterally-accessible pocket having alens-shaped opening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated inthe drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of theinvention is thereby intended, and alterations and modifications in theillustrated device, and further applications of the principles of theinvention as illustrated therein are herein contemplated as wouldnormally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

The present disclosure relates generally to a torso-covering garment,such as a shirt, having a laterally accessible pocket, located slightlyforward in the side-torso area under the arm, for storing personalitems, such as a mobile phone or wallet. In one embodiment, the pocketincludes a substantially vertical upper opening and a storage arealocated below the opening.

FIGS. 1 & 2 illustrate a front and side view, respectively, of a shirt 1according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown,shirt 1 generally comprises a main torso section 2, sleeves 3, neckopening 4 and pocket 5. The shirt 1 may be constructed from any suitablefabric known in the art including, but not limited to, cotton,polyester, lycra, wool and the like. The torso section 2 may optionallycomprise a separate front panel 6 and back panel 7 which are attached atside seams 8 and top seam 9 by stitching or any other suitableattachment method known in the art. Sleeves 3 are attached to panels 6and 7, respectively, along seams 10. Neck opening 4 is optionallybounded by fabric strip 11 which is attached to the top edge of panels 6and 7. The pocket 5 is preferably accessible from the exterior side ofthe torso section 2 and extends into the interior cavity defined bypanels 6 and 7. The pocket 5 may be oriented to extend from the opening12 toward the front of the shirt 1 (as shown in FIG. 2) or toward therear panel 7.

In a preferred embodiment, pocket opening 12 is located near andslightly forward of the top of seam 8 and below sleeves 3 in asubstantially vertical orientation on either side of the shirt 1. Inother embodiments, the pocket opening 12 may be located in line with theseam 8 and/or the vertical center line of arm 3 as shown in FIGS. 1 and2. The substantially vertical orientation of pocket opening 12 preventsa stored item 13 from falling out of the pocket 5 and allows the wearerto access the pocket 5 via lateral motion, rather than the verticalmotion required for upwardly opening pockets.

Pocket 5 is also preferably attached to the shirt 1 at pocket opening 12using seam 14 such that any stitching used to attach pocket 5 to theshirt 1 is on the under-side of the shirt 1. This reduces thenoticeability of pocket 5 and maintains the aesthetic value of the shirt1. By placing pocket opening 12 just below sleeve 3, the noticeabilityof pocket 5 is further reduced, since the wearer's arm and arm sleeve 3help to conceal pocket opening 12.

As shown in FIGS. 3-6, pocket 5 is preferably constructed by attachingtwo similarly shaped material pieces together with stitching along theperimeter of the pieces, with a portion of the perimeter left unattachedto create the pocket opening 12. In other embodiments, the pocket 5 maybe constructed of a single piece of material, which is then folded overon itself and sewn along a portion of the resulting shape perimeter. Theunattached perimeter portions which form the opening 12 are thenattached to the shirt 1 as shown, leaving an item-carrying section 15 ofpocket 5 to hang freely or dangle below the bottom-most point 16 ofpocket opening 12. The practical effect of this orientation is thatitem-carrying section 15 (and any item therein) tends to stay belowpocket opening 12 due to gravitational forces when the wearer is bendingover or moving about. This further reduces the likelihood that an itemmay inadvertently come out of the pocket 5 as the wearer moves about.The orientation also reduces or eliminates any need for pocket closureelements that would slow down the process of accessing an item in thepocket 5 or that would otherwise create a hindrance for the wearer. Inthe preferred embodiment, the shirt 1 is sized to fit loosely on thewearer's torso, thereby enhancing the ability of pocket 5 to hang morefreely and maintain a vertical orientation as the wearer changesposition.

In certain embodiments, item-carrying section 15 may be configured in ashape tailored to securely retain the item 13 in the pocket 5. Forexample, stitching 17 may be applied in an inverted “V” shape across theitem-carrying section 15 as shown in FIG. 3 to create twodownwardly-narrowing areas 18 near the bottom of the pocket 5. Whenplaced into the pocket 5, the item 13 will move downward due to gravityand become wedged into an area 18. The sides of the area 18 willcontinue to apply lateral pressure to the sides of the item 13 to helpsecure the item 13 in the pocket 5. In other embodiments, the bottomshape of the pocket 5 may be formed from pieces which include a bottomslant shape, as opposed to a square bottom pocket with an inverted Vstitched into the bottom of the pocket 5. Other shapes which direct theitem 13 into a snug fit in the bottom of the pocket 5 may also becontemplated.

In further embodiments, pocket 5 may be optionally constructed from anelastic material that acts to increase the pressure applied by thelowermost portion of the inverted V-like shape and the area 18. Surfacefriction created by the added pressure can reduce any tendency for theitem 13 to come out of section 15. This can be particularly advantageouswhen the wearer is engaged in physical activity that results in movementthat may otherwise cause the item to move within and relative to thepocket 5.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment where the lower portion of theitem-carrying section 15 includes passageways 50 with downwardlywidening areas 52 extending from the passageways 50. The passageways 50are large enough to allow an object of a certain size (e.g., a typicalmobile phone) to fit through the passageways 50 due to gravity or usermanipulation, but small enough to provide some resistance to upwardmovement of the item. In certain embodiments, the pocket is made from astretchable material, with the passageway 50 configured to be smallerthan the width of an intended item to be stored (e.g., a mobile phone).This allows the item to be inserted through the passageway 50 bystretching the material, while still helping to retain the item in thearea 52 during storage.

In certain embodiments, the areas 52 may be defined by an invertedpyramid defined by stitching 54, 56, and 58 across the item carryingsection 15 as shown, with the width of each passageway 52 being definedby an upper vertex 60 of the inverted pyramid and the sidewall 32. Instill further embodiments, the stitching 56 and 58 may be omitted,leaving only stitching 54 to define at least one passageway 50. In a

FIGS. 5 and 5 a show a further embodiment wherein the item-carryingsection 15 includes an inverted flap 19 which is attached across aninterior side of the item-carrying section 15 using a top stitching 20and side stitching 21 as shown. The bottom edge 22 of the flap 19 isleft loose, thereby forming an inverted cavity or enclosure with anopening above the bottom edge 23 of the pocket 5. Once the item 13 isplaced into the pocket 5, it will fall to the bottom of the pocket 5. Asthe item 13 shifts position due to movement of the wearer, it willbecome caught within the adjacent inverted enclosure defined by the flap19 and the sidewall of the pocket 5. The flap 19 therefore provides anadditional compartment to trap the stored item 13 when the item is beingforced out of the pocket 5 by gravity (e.g., when the wearer is bendingover forwards). The distance between the bottom edge 22 of the flap 19and the bottom edge 23 of the pocket 5 may be configured to be greateror smaller depending on the needs of the intended wearer and/or the sizeof the object expected to be stored in the pocket 5. In certainembodiments, an additional flap may be positioned laterally opposite thefirst flap 19, thereby creating two inverted pockets for trapping theitem 13 within the pocket 5.

FIG. 6 shows yet a further embodiment wherein multiple retaining strips24 and 25 are placed at different distances from the bottom of pocket 5.The retaining strips function similar to flap 19 to create adownward-opening cavity or enclosure to trap the item 13. Retainingstrip 24 is attached to pocket 5 by stitching on upper edge 26 and sideedges 27, with lower edge 28 being left unattached, thereby forming asmall enclosure to catch and trap the stored object. Retaining strip 25is secured by stitching on upper edge 29 and side edges 30, with loweredge 31 unattached.

In one embodiment, the pocket 5 may be attached to the torso section 2using only the perimeter edges of the opening 12, with the remainingperimeter of the pocket 5 being left hanging. This will help to maintaina vertical orientation of the pocket 5 regardless of the body positionof the wearer as discussed above (e.g., when the wearer is bendingforwards or backwards). Alternatively, a portion of the perimeter edgesof the pocket 5 may be stitched to the interior side of the panel 6 or7. In one embodiment, a portion of the substantially vertical edge 32 ofthe pocket 5 may be attached using the same seam 8 which connects panels6 and 7, thereby further minimizing the amount of externally observablestitching.

In a preferred embodiment, the pocket opening 12 may be formed tomaintain a curved or lens shape when the shirt 1 is being worn. The lensshape may be achieved by cutting a shirt opening 40 in the shirt 1 asshown in FIG. 7. The pocket opening 12 may also be formed to conform tothe shirt opening 40 by cutting the outer edge 42 of the pocket opening12 in an arc shape as shown in FIG. 8. The inner edge 44 of the pocketopening 44 may also be cut in an arc shape opposite of forward edge 42as shown to further conform pocket opening 12 to the lens-shaped shirtopening 40.

It shall be understood that in addition to a shirt, the pocket 5 may beimplemented in other types of torso-covering garments, including, butnot limited to, jackets, dresses, blouses, and the like.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that allchanges and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventionare desired to be protected.

1. A torso-covering garment comprising: a first substantially verticalopening located in a side-torso portion of the garment; an elongatedinterior pocket attached to said side-torso portion of the garment atsaid first opening, said pocket being laterally-accessible from andextending at a downward angle from said first opening, said pockethaving an upper and lower end; wherein the pocket swings freely from theside-torso portion of the garment such that when an item is placed inthe pocket, the pocket tends toward maintaining a substantially verticalorientation when a wearer moves to a non-vertical position.
 2. Thegarment of claim 1, wherein the lower end of the pocket comprises atleast one downwardly-narrowing wedge area.
 3. The garment of claim 2,wherein the lower end of the pocket comprises two downwardly-narrowingwedge areas.
 4. The garment of claim 3, wherein the twodownwardly-narrowing wedge areas are formed by stitching in the shape ofan inverted V pattern in the lower end of the pocket, said stitchingattaching a first and a second sidewall portion of the pocket.
 5. Thegarment of claim 1, wherein the pocket includes at least one passagewayseparating an upper area of the pocket and a downwardly-widening lowerstorage area; said passageway being sized to assist in retaining theitem in said downwardly-widening storage area.
 6. The garment of claim1, wherein the pocket includes stitching in an inverted pyramid shapeattaching a first and second sidewall portion of the pocket; and whereinsaid at least one passageway is defined by at least one sidewall of thepocket and an upper vertex of said inverted pyramid; and wherein saiddownwardly-widening lower storage area is defined by at least onesidewall of the pocket and a lower side of the inverted pyramid.
 7. Thegarment of claim 1, wherein the pocket further comprises at least oneinverted flap attached to an interior sidewall of the pocket, said atleast one inverted flap defining a cavity having a bottom opening; andwherein said bottom opening is above the lower end of said pocket. 8.The garment of claim 7, wherein the pocket comprises a first and secondinverted flap attached to an interior sidewall of the pocket, said firstinverted flap defining a first cavity having a first bottom opening,said second inverted flap defining a second cavity having a secondbottom opening; wherein said first bottom opening is above the lower endof the pocket; and wherein said second bottom opening is above saidfirst bottom opening.
 9. The garment of claim 1, wherein thetorso-covering garment is a shirt.
 10. The garment of claim 1, whereinthe first substantially vertical opening is located in an area forwardof a vertical center line of an arm opening of the garment.
 11. Thegarment of claim 1, wherein the first substantially vertical opening islocated along a vertical seam connecting a first and second side panelof said torso-covering garment.
 12. The garment of claim 1, wherein thefirst substantially vertical opening comprises a substantial lens shape.13. The garment of claim 1, wherein said garment is configured to beloose-fitting when worn by the wearer.
 14. A torso-covering garmentcomprising: a first substantially vertical opening located in aside-torso portion of the garment; and an interior pocket comprising: anelongated enclosure having an upper and lower end; and a second openingnear the upper end of the enclosure; wherein the upper end of theelongated enclosure is attached to the garment along a perimeter of saidsecond opening such that the elongated enclosure is laterally-accessiblefrom said first substantially vertical opening; and wherein the lowerend of said elongated enclosure swings freely from the side-torsoportion of the garment such that when an item is placed in the pocket,the enclosure tends toward maintaining a substantially verticalorientation when a wearer moves to a non-vertical position.
 15. Thegarment of claim 14, wherein the lower end of the elongated enclosurecomprises at least one downwardly-narrowing wedge area.
 16. The garmentof claim 15, wherein the lower end of the elongated enclosure comprisestwo downwardly-narrowing wedge areas.
 17. The garment of claim 16,wherein the two downwardly-narrowing wedge areas are formed by stitchingin the shape of an inverted V pattern in the lower end of the elongatedenclosure, said stitching attaching a first and a second sidewallportion of the elongated enclosure.
 18. The garment of claim 14, whereinthe pocket further comprises at least one inverted flap attached to aninterior sidewall of the elongated enclosure, said at least one invertedflap defining a cavity having a bottom opening; and wherein said bottomopening is above the lower end of said elongated enclosure.
 19. Thegarment of claim 18, wherein the pocket comprises a first and secondinverted flap attached to an interior sidewall of the elongatedenclosure, said first inverted flap defining a first cavity having afirst bottom opening, said second inverted flap defining a second cavityhaving a second bottom opening; wherein said first bottom opening isabove the lower end of the elongated enclosure; and wherein said secondbottom opening is above said first bottom opening.
 20. The garment ofclaim 14, wherein the torso-covering garment is a shirt.